Hat And The Elephant

HOPE FOUND The school system in a large city had a program to help children keep up with their school work during stays in the city’s hospitals. One day a teacher who was assigned to the program received a routine call asking her to visit a particular child. She took the child’s name and room number and talked briefly with the child’s regular teacher. “We’re studying nouns and adverbs in his class now,” th regular teacher said, “and I’d be grateful if you could help him understand them so he doesn’t fall too far behind.”

The hospital program teacher went to see the boy that afternoon. No one had mentioned to her that the boy had been badly burned and was in great pain. Upset at the sight of the boy, she stammered as she told him, “I’ve been sent by your school to help you with nouns and adverbs.” When she left she felt she had not accomplished much. But the next day a nurse asked her, “What did you do to that boy?” The teacher felt she must have done something wrong and began to apologize. “No, no,” said the nurse, “You don’t know what I mean.”We’ve been worried about that little boy, but ever since yesterday, his whole attitude has changed. He’s fighting back, responding to treatment. It’s as thought he’s decided to live.”

Two weeks later the boy explained that he had completely given up hope until the teacher came. Everything changed when he came to the simple realization expressed this way, “They wouldn’t send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy,

would they?”

THE HAT AND THE ELEPHANT (essence) man took child to circus. Funny clown wearing high hat bowed and it fell off. El. sat on it. Crowd shouted, gestured, Clown tried to kick el. off hat. Defeated, the clown sat down to eat peanuts, at which time the elephant, being interested in peanuts, stood up and ambled over to get some. We too have to be inventive to encourage others.